Laura Castel, a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and also ERC Catalan MP in Madrid, answered questions from journalist Erem Kansoy about the visit to Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan by his nephew and DEM Party Urfa MP Ömer Öcalan on 23 October. 

Castel said: "As a member of the Council of Europe, I must emphasize that the situation regarding Mr. Öcalan is certainly a human rights matter, and we, in PACE, strive to be attentive to such issues. Mr. Öcalan’s message, advocating for peace and a political solution to the Kurdish issue, is indeed very significant."

Castel added: "The Turkish state continues its bombings in Northern and Eastern Syria, a practice it has carried out repeatedly. In my view, these attacks must stop immediately. Ceasing the bombings would be the first step towards peace, and dialogue should follow.

Secondly, as the leader of the Kurdish movement, Mr. Öcalan should have a seat at the negotiation table. Allowing him to lead peace negotiations would contribute to a more realistic pursuit of peace. Otherwise, Turkey’s statements may only be an attempt to signal to the Council of Europe that they are 'taking action,' saying things like, 'We’re willing to initiate dialogue and bring Mr. Öcalan to the negotiating table.' Yet, on the other hand, they continue bombarding civilian areas and populations."